On the first day of the third term on Tuesday, the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) said 82 schools had reported damages as a result of the inclement weather.
While the department was bashed online for its decision to reopen schools amid the weather warnings, WCED spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said the alert levels issued and advice given from the SAWS did not warrant a full closure.
She said out of 1 550 schools, only five schools required closure.
“The schools were closed as a result of either flooding, inaccessibility to access routes or damage to the school building.
“The majority of cases are minor, with 31 cases regarded as more serious. This includes schools where roof sheeting was blown off.”
The department said schools would continue to remain open today (Wed) and individual requests for closure will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Bronagh cautioned around the spreading of false information, with a number of social media posts having falsely claimed that all schools were closed, on Monday.
Pinelands North Primary School Grade 6 teacher Stanley Chilambe said schools should only open if they can operate safely under the current conditions and that given the country’s challenges and inequalities, not all schools could ensure safety.
“It is crucial that we critically address making schools safe for all children, not just some. Floods of this nature occur every year, yet the WCED is consistently caught unprepared, and it’s often the same schools in the same areas that are affected.”